A Night At Birdland

Born in 1978, jazz musician at heart since his childhood, Ludovic Beier is passionate about his "west-coast". He discovers his idols (Chick Corea, George Duke, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, George Benson …) that influence in the years of his musical training. He began composing at an early age and slides his albums some of his themes, ballads to bebop. The meeting Angelo Debarre mark the beginning of his career as a jazz musician, a moment he had been waiting. In a short time, his partner in the name of Angelo takes on an international dimension with, pinnacle, a series of triumphant concerts at the famous New York club BIRDLAND Temple of global jazz. During the American tour Ludovic played and "jammed" with, among others, Dorado Schmitt, James Carter, Paquito D'Rivera and Frank Wess…

Five stars for Ken Burns on this excellent compilation! I really like that Ken Burns was able to capture jazz from all the major periods of jazz from the traditional to fusion. Some say, as one reviewer did here, that bop was "crammed" in and traditional jazz was represented a little healthy in this series.

Charlie Parker Records: The Complete Collection, Vol. 24 - Charlie Parker - Fragments (2012 CP Records 233193/24 rec 1949-1952}
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© 1949-52, 2012 Charlie Parker Records / Membran Media / Documents | 233193 / 24
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

Exhaustive 30 CD collection from the Jazz legend's short-lived label. Contains 44 original albums (421 tracks) plus booklet. Every record-collector has run across an album with the little sax-playing bird in it's label-logo, right next to the brand name Charlie Parker Records or CP Parker Records. Turning the sleeve over, especially if it was one of the non-Parker releases, and seeing a '60s release date under the header Stereo-pact! Was as exciting an experience as it was confusing. Was the claim Bird Lives meant more literally than previously thought?

This Black Lion CD combines together four selections from a quintet session featuring altoist Sonny Stitt, trumpeter Howard McGhee, pianist Walter Bishop, bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Kenny Clarke (three boppish blues and a Stitt feature on "Lover Man") with four selections showcasing Stitt with unknown accompaniment from a 1962 date at Birdland. The saxophonist recorded so many sessions that it is not necesssary to acquire them all to get a good sampling of his playing (particularly since his style was virtually unchanged after the mid-'50s), but the CD has its heated moments.

Up until he suffered a stroke at age 70 in 1996, singer Mel Tormé continued to improve with age and seemed to have inexhaustible energy. This four-CD set from Rhino does a fine job of covering Tormé's pre-Concord output, although the omission of his Concord work of 1986-1995 is unfortunate for that catalog contains many of Tormé's most exciting recordings. In general, the earlier selections (some of which were with his vocal group the Mel-Tones) feature Tormé on hip (for the period) swing tunes and ballads. Things greatly improve once the singer reaches the year 1975 and there are enough high points throughout the set to justify its purchase by Tormé's many fans. Three previously unreleased selections (best is "Walkin' Shoes" with Shorty Rogers in 1962) are a plus and the colorful 84-page booklet is quite definitive.

Count Basie - The Complete Roulette Studio Recordings Of Count Basie & His Orchestra (1993) {10CD Box Set Mosaic MD10-149}
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© 1957-62, 1993 Mosaic Records | MD10-149
Jazz / Big Band / Swing

Some of Count Basie's finest recordings were cut for the Roulette label during 1957-1962, and all of his studio performances are included on this massive Mosaic ten-CD boxed set. Among the classic former LPs that are reissued here are The Atomic Mr. Basie, Basie Plays Hefti, Chairman of the Board, Everyday I Have the Blues, and Kansas City Suite. With such soloists as trumpeters Thad Jones and Joe Newman, the tenors of Frank Foster and Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Frank Wess on alto and flute, vocals by Joe Williams, and the timeless arrangements of Neal Hefti, Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins, and Frank Wess among others, this essential (but unfortunately limited-edition) set features the second Count Basie Orchestra at its very best.